Extending Veganuary Is Easy With The Very Good Butchers (Win!)

January is the month when many people are simply looking to make better diet choices. Whether it’s adopting a flexitarian lifestyle, or removing meat from their diets altogether (like taking part in the annual, growingly popular Veganuary challenge), many of us are looking to develop more conscious eating habits without sacrificing what we love: great tasting food. That’s where The Very Good Butchers comes in. The brand was built from the ground up in Canada by trained chefs on a mission to make plant-based eating as approachable, nutritious and delicious as possible. Tired of the overly processed meat alternatives currently on the market, The Very Good Butchers have raised the plant-based bar with Butcher’s Select: a line of gluten- and soy-free line products that contain simple, wholesome ingredients and boast an extra meaty taste and texture. It’s proof that you can make good food choices without sacrificing a thing. And for those that want to keep shopping simple, The Very Good Butchers Big Box Of (Plant-Based) Meat Subscription Box has all you need for a month of plant-based recipes. We chatted with Mitchell Scott, co-founder and CEO of The Very Good Butchers, to find out meatless more! —Noa Nichol

Hi Mitchell! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.

Hi! I’m Mitchell Scott, the co-founder and CEO of The Very Good Butchers. I was born and raised on Denman Island, where The Very Good Butchers first got off the ground. I have worn many hats—but in short, I’m responsible for the business operations and overall growth of The Very Good Butchers.

When and why did you launch The Very Good Butchers? What niche were/are you aiming to fill?

I grew up vegetarian but always struggled to find plant-based meat alternatives that tasted good. Flash forward to 2016, when I was at a family barbecue and handed a veggie burger that James—a distant relative—had cooked up. James, who is a trained chef, had already been selling his burgers on Denman Island, and I was completely blown away by the taste and texture. I got to talking with James at the barbecue, and learned that he wanted to turn what he was doing into something bigger. We shared the goal of seeing better-tasting, better-quality plant-based food on grocery store shelves—and thus began The Very Good Butchers. My background is in sales and marketing with a passion to start a business, but was never excited enough about a product that I could really get behind, but I was really confident about what James was doing and excited about what we could do together. Shortly after that, we started selling products at farmers’ markets in Victoria and with overwhelming positive response, we made the decision to open a brick-and-mortar plant-based butcher shop—the very first of its kind in Western Canada—in February 2017 (yes, we turn five this year!). With a focus on taste and quality, we really aimed to separate ourselves from other, overly processed meat alternatives on the market by making plant-based products that are not only delicious, but are also filled with wholesome and minimally-processed ingredients that you’d find in your kitchen.

What products/services do you currently offer, and what makes them unique to other plant-based meat alternatives?

We currently offer more than 18 premium and diverse product options, ranging from burgers to steak, ribs, sausages and cheese. Also, we have a few new products in the testing and innovation phase that we’re really excited about! One of the things that makes Very Good Butchers unique is our commitment to using real, recognizable ingredients—like beans, chickpeas, garlic and other vegetables—that people can feel good about eating and serving to their family and friends. Our newest line, called Butcher’s Select, are also gluten- and soy-free, and really pack an extra meaty taste and texture. We’re also the first plant-based brand in Western Canada to open a brick-and-mortar butcher shop, with our first location here in Victoria and our second opening up in Vancouver later this year. In addition to offering the traditional butcher shop experience (only without the animal meat), our shop also has a dine-in restaurant and retail space. In addition to our shops, we also sell our products online, as well as 1,100-plus retailers (and counting!) in Canada.

It’s a New Year! And a world clearly in need of some sort of change! What does plant-based/vegan/vegetarian eating mean to you, personally, as business guys and human “beans”?

To us, plant-based eating is eating for longevity. There are several studies out there showing that plant-based eating can not only improve your own health, but also protect the planet. Whether you eat fully plant-based, or adopt a flexitarian lifestyle, eating plant-based foods is a great way to get in the micro- and macro- nutrients your body needs to sustain itself, while maintaining a lower carbon footprint. It’s a win-win! From a business side—since day one, sustainability has been rooted in everything we do at The Very Good Butchers. Our food production process emits up to 2.5x less carbon emissions than a traditional butcher shop, and much of our packaging is low-impact and eco-friendly—from compostable mushroom-based insulated packaging to reusable ice packs. Simply put, taking care of the environment goes beyond just creating plant-based foods and we want to make sure this is happening across all areas of our business.

You offer many subscription boxes, with the Big Box Of (Plant-Based) Meat being the most popular; tell us about it!

We offer a variety of curated bundles that contain a variety of our plant-based products. The Very Good Butchers Box of (Plant-Based) Meat is not only our most popular box, it’s our best-selling product. It’s our biggest box yet and includes 12 packs of our most popular products, from burgers and sausages, to ribs and taco meat. The box, which is $99, provides enough food for more than 28 meals, so it goes a long way. The box is also available as an online subscription, making it a super easy and convenient way for consumers to get fresh, wholesome plant-based products without having to leave their home.

Your current favourite VGB product is what?

I’d say my all-time favourite is the Very Good Pepperoni; not only is it full of protein, but it’s very versatile. When you think pepperoni, you automatically think pizza, but our Very Good Pepperoni can be incorporated into a variety of dishes like sandwiches, calzones and even perogies. I also love the Taco Stuff’er for the same reason; it can be used in so many more dishes than what its name implies. In terms of current favourites, I’d definitely go with Butcher’s Select MMM Meatballs, which were recently recognized as a NEXTY award winner. This is an Italian-inspired plant-based meatball that’s good enough to fool your Nonna! We’ve actually seen overwhelming demand for this product, and will soon be launching a spicy version. Stay tuned!

Can you share with us an easy, go-to, family dinner recipe using a VGB product?

When developing our recipes, making them easy and approachable has alway been a top priority. Take our quick and easy Homemade Perogies with Pepperoni and Onions, which is a twist on a traditional dish that would generally take hours to prepare, but can be put together in less than 60 minutes. These perogies, which incorporate our Very Good Pepperoni and Very Good Cheese Co. Cheddah, are full of flavour and perfect for a quick evening meal or family dinner.

verygoodbutchers.com

Win! The Very Good Butchers Big Box Of (Plant-Based) Meat Subscription Box

Congrats Morgan S. of London, ON, who will receive The Very Good Butchers Big Box Of (Plant-Based) Meat Subscription Box! Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadaily.ca. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.